{"id":110484,"date":"2025-04-24T22:35:22","date_gmt":"2025-04-25T05:35:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thegood.com\/?post_type=insights&p=110484"},"modified":"2025-10-16T13:57:42","modified_gmt":"2025-10-16T20:57:42","slug":"continuous-research","status":"publish","type":"insights","link":"https:\/\/thegood.com\/insights\/continuous-research\/","title":{"rendered":"Continuous Research: The Secret Weapon For Effective Product Teams"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Traditional product building happens in sequential phases. Following a waterfall methodology<\/a>, long phases of upfront research are followed by long periods of building or implementing, before the research begins again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But this episodic style is falling out of favor with forward-thinking teams. The best product organizations are embracing continuous research, an always-on approach to gathering insights that allows for more user-centered, effective products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In one study<\/a>, 83% of designers, product managers, and researchers agreed that research should be conducted at every stage of the product development life cycle. But, only 36% of them are conducting research studies after launch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How can they bridge the gap? With continuous research.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is continuous research?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Continuous research is an \u201calways-on\u201d style of research, where product teams put practices and systems in place to habitually learn from users. Rather than conducting isolated research studies or sprints, it focuses on integrating regular research activities into the product development cycle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why continuous research?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The benefits of continuous research are plentiful. Gathering insights regularly means quickly responding to user needs\/wants, making more data-driven<\/a> decisions, and reducing spend on changes that don\u2019t work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to research by McKinsey, there is a direct correlation<\/a> between financial success<\/strong> and de-risking development by continually<\/strong> listening, testing, and iterating with end-users. Continuous research methods are proven to positively impact the bottom line, and you can feel good knowing that they also make your customers\u2019 lives better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, the under-touted benefit of continuous research is that it makes everyone\u2019s job at your company easier. Product teams get their questions answered faster. Developers don\u2019t have to waste time on unfriendly user features. Sales can more easily connect with customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No one has to wait to get on a roadmap, because there is a constant cycle of feedback and user connection that is otherwise unattainable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Continuous research methods<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

So, what specifically counts as continuous research? Plenty of methods would fall under this umbrella. Here are a few of our favorites to paint a picture of what continuous research looks like in action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regular user interviews<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Open a time on your calendar to consistently fill with customer interviews<\/a>. This consistent, lightweight user research can gather immediate feedback on new features or designs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regular usability testing<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Find time to observe users interacting with your product. Do this often, and you will uncover patterns to improve your UX.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ongoing collection of CSAT or NPS scores<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keep a record of customer satisfaction scores (CSAT) or Net Promoter Scores (NPS) to understand over time whether users are happy with your product. This consistent record will help you determine if product optimizations have helped or hurt your experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cohort comparison through onboarding surveys<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Conduct onboarding surveys and then compare cohorts over time to identify trends that may not be apparent in individual feedback sessions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lightweight prototype testing<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Get feedback on designs from initial prototype to mid-fidelity<\/a> to fully mocked up. Use the consistent feedback to iterate quickly and make immediate changes as you go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n